Carpet stretcher and tacker.



PATBNTED SEPT. 8, 1903.4

E, s. Bmw GARPET STRBTGHER AND TAQKER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN; 13". 1903.

N0 HOPEL.

UNITED STATES Patented September 8, 1903.

PATENT OEEICE.

ELBERT S. BRAGG, OF GREENFIELD, INDIANA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. l738,520, dated September 8, 1903.

Application Sled January 13, 1903. Serial Noy 138,894. (No model T0 LZZ wiz/0m, t may concern: g

Be it known that I, ELBERT S. BRAGG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenfield, in the county of Hancock and State of Indiana, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Carpet Stretcher and Tacker, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to improvements in appliances for stretching and tacking carpets; and the object is to provide a device which is simple, inexpensive, and durable.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa perspective view of my invention in operative position; Fig. 2, an elevation of same with the side plates removed to show the magazine for tacks and the tubes for directing the tacks and driving-rod; Fig. 3, an elevation with magazine removed and tubes in longitudinal section; Fig. 4, a detail in transverse section of the upper end of the instrument; Fig. 5, a detail in longitudinal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 an under side view of the grappling-plate for engaging the carpet to be stretched.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

7 represents the body of the instrument, which has a longitudinal channel in which a tube 8 is placed. This tube forms a run and guide for the driving-rod 9, the upper end of which extends above the top of the body 7 and terminates with the knob 10 ofany suitable and well-known construction. Adjacent to the tube 8 is the tubular conduit 11, which starts at or near the top of thevbody 7 and merges with said tube 8 at a suitable distance above the bottom of said'body 7, so that a tack introduced into the upper end of tube 11 will be conducted into the tube 8 when the rodr9 is drawn up above the junction of the two tubes. The manner of intro-` ducing or feeding the tacks to the tube 11 at required intervals will be presently explained. The lower end of tube 8 enters the downwardly-tapering bore of the adjustable guide 12. This guide rests in and is supported by the stirrup 13, which is a metal strap bent U shape to receive the guide loosely between its stems. The upperends of the stems are slotted longitudinally at 14, whereby they are suspended from pins 15, which project from the inner walls of the body7 through said slots. The length of the slots is sufficient to afford an adjustment which permits the stirrup and guide to be lowered into contact with the carpet before the operation of driving the tack, which is accomplished by a longitudinal downward blow from the rod 9. The taper of the bore of the guide retains the tack with its point down, and the egress of the tack under the blowfrom the driving-rod is permitted by the expanding of the lower end of the guide. This is accomplished by making theY guide in two parts by longitudinally dividing the latter. The parts are held together normally by the outside pressure against them of the springs 16. Ears17 from the material of the stirrup may be bent inwardly to hold the guide in place in the stirrup. rIhe latter will have the bottom opening 17' to allow the passage of the tack. v

i The lower end of the body will have the lateral claws 18 18 to engage the door in drawing thev carpet tight. These hooks are inserted into the door near the base-board of the wall, and the carpet is taken hold of by a" block 19, having hooks or barbs 2O on its under side to engage the carpet. The block has a hook 2l which engages a bail 22, the latter being hinged to the body 7 of the stretcher, as shown in Fig. 1. In practice I prefer to use a metal plate on the under side of the block 19, which has a grappling-surface made by making radial slots at 'various points of the metal and bending out the points thus formed, as shown in Fig. 6.

The magazine to hold the tacks, `and to which I have referred, comprises a plurality of short cylindrical tubes 23, each adapted to receive one lrack, which Aare secured to an endless belt 24, the open ends of which are brought successively opposite the inlet to the tube 1l, into which the tack is made to drop. This belt 24 passes around the two pulleys 25 and 26, the upper one, 25, of which is mounted in a fixed manner on a shaft which extends through the body 7 and terminates with the handle 27, by means of which the pulley 25 is rotated, so as to cause the belt IOO Vzo

to travel. The pulleys are mounted in bearing-plates 28, attached to the ends of a bar 29. The latter is divided transversely into two separable parts, which arev separated by means of the wedge 30, whereby by changing the sizeof the wedge the length of the bar 29 may be increased to keep the belt taut. Between the bar 29 and the belt are the guide-bars 31 and 32. The magazine thus constructed is contained Within a suitable case 33, which is secured to the upper end of body '7 in the manner shown. The outer wall 34 of the case will preferably be removable to permit access for loading the magazine with tacks. The remaining portion of the body below the magazine-case will be covered with a cover 35.

i I preferably provide acap or cover 36 with side ianges to fit over the end of the body 7 and the magazine-case, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. This cap has the perforation 37and a bent lever 38, hinged so that by raising the leverits other end will enter the perforation and push the tack in the magazine opposite the perforation out into the tube l1, as shown in Fig. 4. Ordinarily, however, the tilting back of the body 7 wille-anse the tack to discharge into the tube without the assistance of the lever 38.

The tubes 23 may be made out of any suitable material, such as sheet metal, cast or malleable iron,'or the like, having suitable means for attaching to the belt. This means is shown as rivets 39 in the drawings; but a link belt might be used in which the tubes were integral with the links or other modifications of structure employed, and I therefore do not desire to limit my invention to the form shown.

In the drawings the pulleys are shown as covered with a thin surface of tin or other metal having punched protuberances 40 to keep the belt from slipping.

To indicate to the operator when he has advanced the belt the distance of one tube, I provide the spring 41, which is attached to the side of the case containing the magazine and projects into contact with the magazinetubes, as shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent,is Y

1. In a carpet stretcher and tacker, a body portion having teeth at its lower end, a toothed stretcher-section flexibly connected with said lower end of the body portion, a tack-magazine secured to the upper end of said body portion and comprising a movable belt having tack-holding tubes transverse to the longitudinal dimensions of said body portion, a feed tube leading downwardly from said magazine parallel with and connected to the body portion, a pivoted lever having a bent end to successively enter said tack-holders and discharge the tacks into the feed-tube,

` and a drive-rod passing through the body portion and feed-tube.

2. In a carpet stretcherand tacker, a body portion having teeth at one end, a toothed stretcher-section flexibly connected with said end, a tack-magazine extending longitudinally of the body portion from the upper end thereof, said magazine comprising a movable belt having tack-holding pockets transverse to the longitudinal dimensions of said body portion, a pair of pulleys at opposite ends of the magazine around which the belt passes, means for varying the distance between the pulleys comprising removable spreader-inserts, a feed-tube starting from the top of the magazine and extending longitudinally of the body portion, a pivoted lever for discharging the tacks from the magazine into the feedtube, and a drive-rod passing through the body portion and the feed-tube.

3. In acarpet-tacker,a body portion, a tackmagazine extending longitudinally of the 'body portion from the upper end of said body, said magazine comprising a movable belt having transverse tubular tack-holding pockets, a pair of pulleys around which the belt passes, means for rotating one of the pulleys to move the belt, a spring indicator to regulate and indicate the movement of said tubular pockets, a feed-tube starting from the magazine and extending longitudinally of the body portion, a drive-rod passing through the body portion aud the feed-tube, and means temporarily and successively entering said tubular pockets for discharging'the tacks from the magazine into the feed-tube.

4. In a carpet-tacker, a body portion having teethat one end, a tack-magazine comprising a flexible belt having transverse tubular open-end tack-holders extending longitudinally of the body portion from the upper end of said body, a feed-tube starting from the magazine and extending longitudinally of the body portion, means for positively discharging the tacks from said magazine into the tube, a guide at the lower end of the body portion adjustable longitudinally of said body, said guide having a longitudinal downwardly-tapering bore and being divided longitudinally into two parts, springs to press the parts together, means to regulate the withdrawal of the guide from the body portion and a drive-rod passing through the body porp tion, the feed-tube, and the guide.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this IIO 

